Focus On - Page 16 of 27 - Modern Poultry

Stop coccidiosis in layers! Breaks can hit any farm. Learn how to prevent & control this costly disease.

Coccidiosis breaks in layers: Who’s to blame?

By Daniel Wilson, DVM
Wilson Veterinary Company
Indianapolis, Indiana

How postbiotic feed additives could help improve poultry health and production

Postbiotics might be a relatively new term in the field of animal feed and microbiology, but they could play a significant role in improving the gut health, immune systems and overall well-being of commercial poultry flocks.

Poultry studies show phytase benefits go beyond phosphorus contribution

Phytases traditionally have been used to increase available dietary phosphorus in poultry and other animal diets, but a growing body of evidence is showing that their effects can be much broader.

Beak to toes: Impact, causes, and prevention of toe pecking in laying hens

Damaging behaviors in poultry include feather pecking, vent pecking, and toe pecking. While feather and vent pecking are well-known welfare problems in poultry that have received significant attention from researchers and farmers, toe pecking remains relatively unknown.

Specialist: Biosecurity is the ‘cheapest, most effective’ tool for disease management

Biosecurity is the cheapest, most effective means of disease prevention and control available. Proper biosecurity will help to ensure the overall health and welfare of your flock.

Pullet rearing: Preparing laying hens for a cage-free environment

Currently, 34% of laying hens used for commercial egg production in the United States are housed in cage-free environments. This number will nearly double to 66% by 2026 by to meet retailer demands and state legislation requirements. How do we prepare for this increase?

Starting off right: Ensuring chick welfare

The first few days of life are some of the most important in chicks’ lives. During this time, chicks start developing and set themselves up for the rest of their lifetime. The husbandry decisions made at this point can impact the birds’ growth, development, health and welfare.

Enzyme addition helps chickens gain more energy from feed

Using the commercial feed enzyme β-mannanase can improve energy digestibility of corn-soy feed for chickens, both alone and in combination with xylanase and glucanase, research by São Paulo State University scientists in collaboration with BASF suggests.

Food labels, claims and animal welfare

Various claims and labels on the products provide consumers with information about how the animals were raised and treated during production. However, the information on animal products can sometimes be confusing.

Optimizing incubation conditions for chick welfare

The incubation environment is important for embryonic development and programs chick welfare. The focus of this newsletter is on the effects of the incubator environment on chicken egg incubation, but the same principles can apply to other poultry species.

Tryptophan: The link between poultry welfare and nutrition

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which is the building block of protein, therefore it cannot be synthesized by the body itself and must be obtained through food; it is important for many metabolic functions. A tryptophan deficiency could affect behavioral responses to stress in poultry.

Cold temperatures can have severe consequences for poultry health and welfare

The consequences of cold stress can be severe, leading to death in extreme cases. A chicken’s susceptibility to cold stress depends on various factors, including the chicken’s breed, age, body size, amount of feather coverage and condition of the feathers and nutritional status.

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